One of the most interesting aspects of ancient Egypt is its religion. The depth of Egyptian thinking and the rich imagination displayed in the creation of ideas and images of the gods and goddesses are beyond compare. In elaborating their beliefs, the Egyptians were working on the cosmic plane, searching for an understanding of the most basic laws of the universe.

They developed the first thought forms of the
Godhead - the beginnings of a religion. Their beliefs evolved slowly
over the centuries and gradually developed into a comprehensive world
view shared by the people of the Nile.

Religion is the glue that binds local communities
into nationhood and creates common understandings and shared values
that are essential to the growth of a civilization. No religion is
fully formed at its inception. By looking at ancient Egypt, one can
see how belief systems evolved to become the driving force of cultural
expressions. In the early stages of human thought, the concept of God
did not exist. Our early ancestors were concerned about natural phenomena
and the powers that controlled these phenomena; they did not worship a
personalized form of God. This stage of religious development is
referred to as "magical".

In Egypt, before the concept of God existed,
magical power was encapsulated in the
hieroglyph of a
sceptre (or rod
or staff). This is one of the most enduring symbols of divine power,
ever present in images of the pharaohs and the gods.

As human society evolved, people gradually gained
a degree of personal identity. With a higher sense of individuality,
humans began to conceive the gods in a personalized form. This stage
in development is called "mythical". In Egypt, this process began
during the late prehistoric period, when writing was being invented
and myths were being formulated.

At that stage, every Egyptian town had its own
particular deity, manifested in a material fetish or a god represented
in the shape of an
animal,
such as a cat-goddess, cobra-goddess,
ibis-god or jackal-god. As the pantheon grew in cohesiveness, these
gods and goddesses were given human bodies and credited with human
attributes and activities. The temples in the major cities throughout
the land were constructed to venerate local gods. During the New
Kingdom, these temples honoured a triad of gods based on the pattern
established by the mythical family
of Osiris, Isis and Horus.

Like all religions, that of ancient Egypt was
complex. It evolved over the centuries from one that emphasized local
deities into a national religion with a smaller number of principal
deities. Some theologians think that Egypt was moving towards a
monotheistic faith
in a single creator, symbolized by the sun god.
There was no single belief system, but the Egyptians shared a common
understanding about the creation of the world and the possibility of
reverting to chaos if the destructive forces of the universe were
unleashed.

When the Greeks and the Romans conquered Egypt,
their religion
was influenced by that of Egypt. Ancient pagan beliefs gradually faded
and were replaced by monotheistic religions. Today, the majority of the
Egyptian
population is Muslim, with a small minority of Jews and Christians.